On February 19, 2021, an event entitled “Security during LGBTQ+ peaceful gatherings” took place in Mariupol. The meeting was attended by UHHRU advocacy programs coordinator Maksym Petrov and Association UMDPL coordinator of Police under Control monitoring campaigns Serhiy Pernykoza – members of a working group formed by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) to develop a strategy of communication between organizers of LGBTQ+ peaceful gatherings, local authorities and police.

During the working meeting, representatives of regional LGBTQ+ organizations, National Police and local governments discussed attacks on local activists, both related and unrelated to peaceful gatherings.

The issues brought before the representatives of the Mariupol City Council and the police included the proper course of action during attacks, the prospect of organizing educational events for police officers and representatives of local authorities to raise their awareness about human rights and non-discrimination, as well as the conducting of educational activities for representatives of the LGBTQ+ community to tell them how best to act in the event of an attack.

The meeting also featured the results of a pilot study entitled “Security during LGBTQ+ peaceful gatherings: the issues of communication between the organizers, police and local authorities” jointly conducted by UHHRU, UMDPL, Human Rights Initiative, and Insight and backed by Freedom House Ukraine.

Special emphasis during the meeting was made on recommendations on how to improve communication between all parties involved in ensuring security during peaceful gatherings organized by representatives of the LGBTQ+ community.

Serhiy Pernykoza, UMDPL:

“The issue of proper security during peaceful gatherings organized by members of the LGBTQ+ community is closely linked to how well communication is set up with local authorities and, of course, with the police. We shouldn’t just consider this issue in the context of submitting a notice about an upcoming peaceful gathering and holding meetings to discuss their details.

Communication can also be improved by organizing meetings, for instance, in the form of lectures dedicated to such issues as hate speech, human rights, gender issues and the history of the formation and development of the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine. I believe the police and local governments will be supportive of such initiatives.”

The pilot study “Security during LGBTQ+ peaceful gatherings: the issues of communication between the organizers, police and local authorities” is available at this link.